(11-03-2017 06:17 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  Objectively, relative to other sports entertainment, the NFL is as big as it ever has been, and it's been the biggest USA sport for the 40 years I've been following pro sports. The anthem protests are a small ding in its armor at this point, nothing more.

Subjectively, I don't watch as much NFL anymore because their just aren't any really good teams any more. Don't know why, but it seems true to me. Which Super Bowl winner of the past 7 years, since 2009 or so, was as good as any SB winner from the 1990s?

I don't think any, with the possible exception of the 2013 Seahawks.

It's all mediocre. Football has topped out and will likely decline because the athletes are bigger and it's more dangerous. Same with basketball, they need to evolve the dimensions for today's players otherwise it has topped out. At least baseball has remained the same more or less for decades/over a century.

(11-03-2017 11:08 AM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 10:46 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 09:55 AM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 06:17 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  Objectively, relative to other sports entertainment, the NFL is as big as it ever has been, and it's been the biggest USA sport for the 40 years I've been following pro sports. The anthem protests are a small ding in its armor at this point, nothing more.

Objectively speaking, both of your statements are false. (the NFL was not the most powerful sports league before 1994, and it is not more powerful today than it was 5 years ago).

In 1991, MLB had $1.503 billion in revenue. This was 30% higher than the NFL's $1.15 billion.

Last year, the situation was reversed (the NFL is about 40% higher than MLB).

But with NFL ratings down by nearly 20% from 2 years ago, its power has peaked. MLB ratings on average are flat over the last two years, if you don't count Houston (which got out of an awful TV contract and skews the overall numbers way up).

This Law Journal article says that in 1980, MLB had $350m gross revenue and the NFL $415m:

"Over the past ten years, the revenues of professional
sports teams have increased more rapidly than player salaries. From 1980 to 1990, Major League Baseball's gross revenues went from about $350 million to $1.1 billion; the NFL's from $415 million to $1.1 billion". (p.25)

http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/cg...ontext=ilj

Given that, 1991 must have been a strange year when baseball must have just signed a new media contract and the NFL was at the tail-end of an older less lucrative one. If you were alive back then, you'd know the NFL was the most popular sports league from around 1970 onwards.

Baseball had its new tv deal with CBS that year and the NFL was a year away from the big deal with FOX.

That's interesting. It's pretty consistent through the 90s though in the links I put in there, until '95.

And yes, I was alive in 1991 . 9 years old. Everyone I knew liked baseball first, then basketball, then football 3rd. But I was in the Midwest, not the South.

(11-03-2017 02:42 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:36 AM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:10 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Saw game 6 had a huge audience- down only 5% from last year with 22.2 million viewers. Better audience then all but 4 NFL games so far this year. More viewers than any other non NFL event this calendar year than all but 3 things- Clemson/Alabama, Game 5 of the NBA finals, and Gonzaga/North Carolina.

If baseball continues this renascence will we start seeing more and more guys like Aaron Judge going to baseball instead of football?

I think you'll see it anyway.

Football has several real problems right now. One is Kaper-dick and the PR nightmare that situation has created. Many people (including myself) have gotten so sick of the BS we don't watch the NFL anymore. Packer football used to be must see TV. I stopped watching after game 1 this year and have no intention of going back until they straighten this out. I know others who feel the same way.

The NFL also is dealing with it's concussion/CTE issue. That's not going away anytime soon either.

If you're a premier athlete and have the choice to make more money playing a safer sport or playing in the NFL with non-guaranteed contracts and the chance you'll be drooling into a cup at 40, which way are you going to go?

OR maybe you hicks shouldn't be offended by some high profile black athletes bringing attention to a real issue they feel needs to be talked about more. You are offended by the protest but not the militarization of the police forces in this country?

Well that was uncalled for.

I'm anything but a hick - I have a PhD and I'm a college professor in California. But protesting the US flag doesn't sit well with me.

I don't care why they're doing it - their method of bringing attention to it is so disgraceful that it gives their Cause a bad name. How many people are talking about police militarization now? No one, because thanks to Colin Kaepernick anyone who does is accused of being anti-American.

This thread has moved deep into political territory, and so it's going to the Spin Room.

(11-02-2017 08:10 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Saw game 6 had a huge audience- down only 5% from last year with 22.2 million viewers. Better audience then all but 4 NFL games so far this year. More viewers than any other non NFL event this calendar year than all but 3 things- Clemson/Alabama, Game 5 of the NBA finals, and Gonzaga/North Carolina.

If baseball continues this renascence will we start seeing more and more guys like Aaron Judge going to baseball instead of football?

Remarkable considering baseball is about as interesting as watching grass grow. I don't support the NFL and the BS, but at least the product is entertaining.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

(11-03-2017 06:20 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 02:42 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:36 AM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:10 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Saw game 6 had a huge audience- down only 5% from last year with 22.2 million viewers. Better audience then all but 4 NFL games so far this year. More viewers than any other non NFL event this calendar year than all but 3 things- Clemson/Alabama, Game 5 of the NBA finals, and Gonzaga/North Carolina.

If baseball continues this renascence will we start seeing more and more guys like Aaron Judge going to baseball instead of football?

I think you'll see it anyway.

Football has several real problems right now. One is Kaper-dick and the PR nightmare that situation has created. Many people (including myself) have gotten so sick of the BS we don't watch the NFL anymore. Packer football used to be must see TV. I stopped watching after game 1 this year and have no intention of going back until they straighten this out. I know others who feel the same way.

The NFL also is dealing with it's concussion/CTE issue. That's not going away anytime soon either.

If you're a premier athlete and have the choice to make more money playing a safer sport or playing in the NFL with non-guaranteed contracts and the chance you'll be drooling into a cup at 40, which way are you going to go?

OR maybe you hicks shouldn't be offended by some high profile black athletes bringing attention to a real issue they feel needs to be talked about more. You are offended by the protest but not the militarization of the police forces in this country?

Well that was uncalled for.

I'm anything but a hick - I have a PhD and I'm a college professor in California. But protesting the US flag doesn't sit well with me.

I don't care why they're doing it - their method of bringing attention to it is so disgraceful that it gives their Cause a bad name. How many people are talking about police militarization now? No one, because thanks to Colin Kaepernick anyone who does is accused of being anti-American.

I must be "anti-American", then.

I support the players' protests and I dislike the very idea of police militarization.

The police are not the military and the people that they are "gearing up" for and "militarizing" against are fellow American citizens, not enemy combatants.

The flag protest doesn't bother me one bit. Not one little, tiny bit.

In fact, the right to protest, to me, is the very epitome of being an American, not "un-American" or anti-American at all. The opposite, in fact.

My nephew did three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He won two Bronze Stars and was wounded twice.

He tells me that one of the things he fought for was to protect the rights of American citizens, including the right of these players to protest.

He doesn't like the protests, but supports the right of the players to do so.

He is about as much a "pro-American" and conservative as you can find, too.

(11-03-2017 06:34 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 06:20 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 02:42 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:36 AM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:10 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Saw game 6 had a huge audience- down only 5% from last year with 22.2 million viewers. Better audience then all but 4 NFL games so far this year. More viewers than any other non NFL event this calendar year than all but 3 things- Clemson/Alabama, Game 5 of the NBA finals, and Gonzaga/North Carolina.

If baseball continues this renascence will we start seeing more and more guys like Aaron Judge going to baseball instead of football?

I think you'll see it anyway.

Football has several real problems right now. One is Kaper-dick and the PR nightmare that situation has created. Many people (including myself) have gotten so sick of the BS we don't watch the NFL anymore. Packer football used to be must see TV. I stopped watching after game 1 this year and have no intention of going back until they straighten this out. I know others who feel the same way.

The NFL also is dealing with it's concussion/CTE issue. That's not going away anytime soon either.

If you're a premier athlete and have the choice to make more money playing a safer sport or playing in the NFL with non-guaranteed contracts and the chance you'll be drooling into a cup at 40, which way are you going to go?

OR maybe you hicks shouldn't be offended by some high profile black athletes bringing attention to a real issue they feel needs to be talked about more. You are offended by the protest but not the militarization of the police forces in this country?

Well that was uncalled for.

I'm anything but a hick - I have a PhD and I'm a college professor in California. But protesting the US flag doesn't sit well with me.

I don't care why they're doing it - their method of bringing attention to it is so disgraceful that it gives their Cause a bad name. How many people are talking about police militarization now? No one, because thanks to Colin Kaepernick anyone who does is accused of being anti-American.

I must be "anti-American", then.

I support the players' protests and I dislike the very idea of police militarization.

The police are not the military and the people that they are "gearing up" for and "militarizing" against are fellow American citizens, not enemy combatants.

The flag protest doesn't bother me one bit. Not one little, tiny bit.

In fact, the right to protest, to me, is the very epitome of being an American, not "un-American" or anti-American at all. The opposite, in fact.

My nephew did three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He won two Bronze Stars and was wounded twice.

He tells me that one of the things he fought for was to protect the rights of American citizens, including the right of these players to protest.

He doesn't like the protests, but supports the right of the players to do so.

He is about as much a "pro-American" and conservative as you can find, too.

Do you not think the NFL has the right to control their workplace? Absolutely they have the right to protest, but game day is company time. That is the kicker for me. You do not have the right to protest on company time

(11-03-2017 06:53 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 06:34 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 06:20 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(11-03-2017 02:42 PM)RutgersGuy Wrote:  

(11-02-2017 08:36 AM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  I think you'll see it anyway.

Football has several real problems right now. One is Kaper-dick and the PR nightmare that situation has created. Many people (including myself) have gotten so sick of the BS we don't watch the NFL anymore. Packer football used to be must see TV. I stopped watching after game 1 this year and have no intention of going back until they straighten this out. I know others who feel the same way.

The NFL also is dealing with it's concussion/CTE issue. That's not going away anytime soon either.

If you're a premier athlete and have the choice to make more money playing a safer sport or playing in the NFL with non-guaranteed contracts and the chance you'll be drooling into a cup at 40, which way are you going to go?

OR maybe you hicks shouldn't be offended by some high profile black athletes bringing attention to a real issue they feel needs to be talked about more. You are offended by the protest but not the militarization of the police forces in this country?

Well that was uncalled for.

I'm anything but a hick - I have a PhD and I'm a college professor in California. But protesting the US flag doesn't sit well with me.

I don't care why they're doing it - their method of bringing attention to it is so disgraceful that it gives their Cause a bad name. How many people are talking about police militarization now? No one, because thanks to Colin Kaepernick anyone who does is accused of being anti-American.

I must be "anti-American", then.

I support the players' protests and I dislike the very idea of police militarization.

The police are not the military and the people that they are "gearing up" for and "militarizing" against are fellow American citizens, not enemy combatants.

The flag protest doesn't bother me one bit. Not one little, tiny bit.

In fact, the right to protest, to me, is the very epitome of being an American, not "un-American" or anti-American at all. The opposite, in fact.

My nephew did three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He won two Bronze Stars and was wounded twice.

He tells me that one of the things he fought for was to protect the rights of American citizens, including the right of these players to protest.

He doesn't like the protests, but supports the right of the players to do so.

He is about as much a "pro-American" and conservative as you can find, too.

Do you not think the NFL has the right to control their workplace? Absolutely they have the right to protest, but game day is company time. That is the kicker for me. You do not have the right to protest on company time

And their bosses have no interest in punishing them. So whats your gripe now? If the owners want to pass a new rule to make the players stand they need approval from the players union, and in order to get the players to agree to that they will ask for concessions from the owners. Do the owners want to give up more power just so some snowflakes will stop buying NFL merchandise to burn? Nope.